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Finally… time for a new washing machine!

My longtime blog readers know how deeply I despise my current front-loading Kenmore washing machine. During the years we’ve owned this awful machine, I’ve replaced more than $300 worth of parts in it. Its low-water wash cycles fail to get our clothing adequately clean, and I learned to keep a bucket in the laundry tub to pour several gallons of water in with each load to help to get them cleaner.

I fully admit that I bought into the hype that front-loading machines were environmentally friendlier and thus, “better.” However, a washing machine that doesn’t clean clothing is not much of a machine at all.

You may wonder why I didn’t replace this piece of junk sooner. (I wonder that myself, sometimes.) I told myself that if it needed one more pricey repair, it would be time to treat our household to a new machine.

Last year, the front door gasket began to leak. I looked up the gasket online, saw that it was almost $100, and thought, “Hey, the machine is in the basement near the floor drain. I’ll just let it leak.”

And leak it did. Of course, leaking water throughout the wash cycle also meant there was less water inside to wash the clothes with.

Last month, the washer quit working, and an error code appeared on our Kenmore’s screen. I looked the code up online and saw that it meant that the entire motherboard of the washing machine was no longer functioning (about $300.) I rejoiced! I could finally justify replacing this awful machine with something superior.

My original 2015 post on how much I hate our front-loading washing machine has more than 150 comments from readers to date, most of whom also profess to hate their front-loaders as well.

Several years ago, I began researching what kind of machine I would want to replace our Kenmore with. I knew it would be a traditional-style top-loader with an agitator — our previous machine was an old-school model that worked very well. The only reason we replaced it was that it had a small tub capacity, and our family had grown to the point that we wanted something that could wash larger loads. (My father-in-law still has our former now 24-year-old washer, and I’ll admit… there have been days I considered asking for it back..!)

During my research into the best washing machines, one name kept coming up over and over: Speed Queen. Speed Queen doesn’t advertise in traditional media, and they aren’t carried by big-box style appliance stores. They build robust, commercial grade machines both for the consumer market and the commercial market.

After visiting Speed Queen’s website, I complied a list of local appliance stores that carry Speed Queen, and I began calling around for prices and availability. I spoke with one salesman who told me that a Speed Queen is built to last 25 years, while most front-loaders are built to last six years. (Just six?!) Speed Queen makes machines with both digital and analog controls, and again, based on all of the problems I’ve had with our current machine, I decided I wanted an old-school analog dial machine. I happily gave my sales representative my credit card number and delivery information, and I began counting the days until my Speed Queen arrived.

About a week later, a delivery truck brought a big box to our door, and my son called out, “Mom! Your new washer is here!”

I excitedly tore the cardboard box open.

Indeed, my new washer had arrived.

This washboard, and our laundry tub, are what I’ve been using to wash our family’s clothes for the past few weeks. You see, the Speed Queen washer model that I purchased is in such demand that stores are having trouble keeping it in stock. I ended up purchasing mine through Abt in Glenview, Illinois, which had the shortest lead time to get this washer: Four weeks.

The closest laundromat to us is about 20 minutes away, and as I work primarily from home, it just seemed easier to hand-wash the essential laundry we needed done week to week while waiting for the new machine to arrive.

Perhaps its the ages that our boys are now too, but their summertime clothing is often getting really dirty. I hand-washed clothes in the laundry tub for a week before I realized I was not having much success getting the dirt out of socks, shirts, and shorts by hand.

Enter the washboard.

This washboard has totally upped my current laundry game. I am truly impressed by how effective it is. Rubbing dirty socks across its ridges results in rivers of dirty little bubbles being ground out of the fabric, then sliding down the board. It works so much better than agitating by hand!

Our dryer, fortunately, is still working, although it is not easy to wring all of the rinsewater out of the clothes by hand. Drying hand-wrung clothes takes a lot longer than you might expect. On particularly heavy laundry days, I was tying a rope between our fence and the kids’ swingset to drip-dry some of our laundry to a damp state before putting it in the dryer.

Well, you know how sometimes you spot something on clearance at exactly the right time? A few days after my new washboard arrived, look what I found at Meijer…

An outdoor rotary clothesline… for $15! What a steal. It’s exactly what I needed to help drip-dry my hand-wash laundry.

One hole in the ground and one bag of concrete later, I had the clothesline base installed flush with the ground. The line itself opens and closes like an umbrella. The entire clothesline drops neatly into its base whenever we want to use it, and it closes up and gets stored in the garage when we’re not.

When I was growing up, our family hung our laundry on a clothesline every summer, so having one in my backyard has definitely been a nostalgia trip. However, this clothesline has become something of a novelty to my kids, who actually like to hang the laundry on it. My youngest son calls this “laundry, pioneer-style,” and my daughter has quickly learned to appreciate how wonderful the laundry smells after being dried outside in the fresh air all day.

I will be thrilled when my new Speed Queen washer finally arrives (and will, of course, write another update when I’ve used it for a while) but I plan to continue using the clothesline on warm, breezy days. As for the washboard? We’ll continue to spend lots of time together, as my Queen isn’t due to arrive for at least another week.

Comments

After my 14 month old GE washer fried its motherboard and the independent repair guy said it would be a few hundred to replace the board with no guarantee something else wouldn’t go next – they don’t build ’em like they used to – I had had enough and ended up going the used appliance way, picking up an older Maytag with no bells, whistles or the ability to talk to the dryer (or Alexa and the neighbors). Couple of hundred bucks and free delivery (and hookup) from a store in Little Mexico. Lots of photos texted beforehand so I knew exactly what I was getting (including serial number). Over four years later and it’s still chugging away (the GE dryer had the knob replaced because the inside gears are plastic – I line dry most of the year!)

I remember when a Kenmore appliance was almost something to put in your will; now companies only want to know if you purchased their extended warranty. Jill, be grateful you’re not down by the river pounding rocks…

Oh, I know those older machines are built to last. After the continued nightmare that owning my (bad) Kenmore became, my parents pretty much committed to keeping their existing top-loader (good) Kenmore until it dies — if ever. They definitely do not build them like they used to!

I got into an extended conversation with the salesman from another local appliance store I had called — their site said they had two Speed Queen washers in stock, but when I called, they didn’t. They’d just sold one, and the other one was still technically in the store, but it had been promised to a woman who wanted to buy it for her new house that she was moving into at the end of this year..! She put a deposit on it so they could hold it for her because she was having trouble finding one too.

Another place I called had a used Speed Queen washer in stock for $599 – the owner moved into an apartment that only had room for a stacked unit. I briefly considered it, but then I figured I might as well get a new one.

I was truly amazed to learn that today’s washers are built to last six years. That just seems crazy to me. I was talking to that sales guy and he said that appliance shoppers fall into two groups now — older people who seek out well-built over features because they want something to last — and younger shoppers who are used to “upgrading everything” and both want and expect new features every few years!

I said “What kind of new features are we talking about?” I figured he would say something like you mentioned, internet notifications from the washing machine and what not — another sales rep I had called mentioned those. This guy said “Well, what’s popular on the front loaders now is a little door in the top so you can add items you forgot to put in once the load starts.”

I said “Oh, like toploading washers have had for 70 years or more?” :)

Yes, I had to replace a Maytag front loader last year. It needed a new drum and would have cost $800 to replace it. The machine was only a few years old! After a couple years it started having a smell which I found out is typical of front loaders. I guess because the water sits in the line it gets bacteria and starts to smell. So I too purchased a Speed Queen top loader from Grands in Naperville. Didn’t have any problem getting one then. Love it so far. Figured if the laundry mats have installed all Speed Queens they got to be good! Hope you get yours soon.

Nothing is built to last these days! We had to replace our Whirlpool Gold counter depth fridge this year, which I am lucky lasted about 10 yrs. I guess! I negotiated with the builder to get this one (cost of $2100 then) and decided to go with the repairman’s suggestion of “get the cheapest you can, I recommend NONE”. So I did my research online and checked Consumer Reports and the top 2 rated side by sides (regular depth) were Kenmore and Frigidaire. My husband wanted a fancy Kenmore model over $1000 but I was not keen on Sears since they were closing our store and the local appliance guy told me they do not service them. I also have a Kenmore top load washer, only problem so far is it drips. I won the argument and we bought a cheap Frigidaire for $800. Well this is a LEMON and we are stuck with it now! They can not fix it and they will not take it back….so I am living with it until “the motherboard” or some other expensive part kicks the bucket. It is sad. I am curious, did you check Consumer Reports on that Speed Queen? I don’t trust them now, who are these people writing these reviews? I guess the only people who bother to write in are the ones who do NOT get lemons. I would think just the opposite. Well I am awaiting your new Speed Queen rating….I do trust you! :>)

I did check the Consumer Reports on the new Speed Queens, and while I have read great things for the years I’ve been dreaming of replacing my Kenmore, the new 2018 Speed Queen washer reviews left me a little apprehensive — Speed Queen apparently redesigned their washers for 2018 to comply with more eco-regulations, and these new models are not getting good reviews at all:

(Note: Thompson’s Appliance in Woodstock, IL is the first place I called during my Speed Queen search. Despite having them on their site, they had none left in stock when I called. If you can find any of this model, they are still the good, older kind. You can differentiate them from the new TR3, TR5, and TR7 Speed Queens because the newer ones have black control panels vs. white.

Note too that you can buy Speed Queen washers on Amazon, but Amazon has replaced the AWN432 with the new TR model but left the reviews for the pre-2018 models on the same product page. Read carefully — even if you order the AWN432 from Amazon, you WILL get the new TR model instead. Quite a few unhappy reviews here: https://amzn.to/2ziLr5t

If you cannot find the AWN432 models, the LWN432 is the commercial-grade version of the “good” old style AWN432 Speed Queen washer. This is the exact model I ended up ordering from Abt:

I have zero experience with the new, redesigned Speed Queens, but I’ve read enough negative/questionable reviews of the 2018 TR series models that led me to not want to take a chance on any of them. The LWN432 is designed for commercial use (laundromats, apartments, shared laundry, etc) so they are low to no-frills machines — . (I was wrong about this — this model does bleach & softener dispensers.) However, I do not need any of that stuff — I just want a washer that WORKS. :)

You guys know that I will be honest with my review of the Queen once she arrives :D I do hope though that it lives up to everything I hope that it will.

Wow! This machine looks like a queen! I am betting you will LOVE it, especially after washing clothes like Maa Ingalls on the prairie! I do like the clothes line though and your boys are precious hanging out laundry in the yard too. I want one now. I will check our new Meijer store for clearance but possibly it was just a lucky find for you EXACTLY when you needed it? I don’t think you’ll miss the fancy stuff on the new electronic line, heck I don’t even use my bleach or fabric softener dispensers on mine. Mine clogged up so badly it looked like wax was all over the clothes when I put in dryer! I cleaned it all out (took hours!) and decided if I need to add liquid I will do it myself as the rinse fills….if I forget or miss, I just use a dryer sheet! That black control panel on the 2018 fancy model just looks like it’s going to break down! I don’t want any of that, just give me old fashioned dials and knobs please!

My local Meijer (Algonquin) had two of these clotheslines marked down to $15 – I found them on an endcap near the laundry baskets. They also had other laundry items marked down — I grabbed the hanging clothespin bag on clearance for $1.50 too!

I laughed at your Maa Ingalls comment too. When I started hand-washing our clothes, I had picked up a pair of “Glamour Gloves” at Walmart — elbow length latex gloves. My youngest thought the name was funny, and he has never missed an opportunity to stop by the laundry tub when I am washing to say “Mom… you look GLAMOROUS!” Ha!

I miss my old washer. Mine newer one is very good at tying knots. When ever you have a repair person in your home, have them tell you what is good & bad about each appliance you own. I love RepairClinic.com & YouTube. Also check out repair blogs. You will see the common flaws in each model. I will miss my local Sears parts store whenever it goes under. I’ve disassembled my old & new washer & old & new drier. I’ve not only bought replacement parts, but parts to improve the machines, like replace a stupid, cheap lever for tension with a pulley for longer life & less wear & power. Hood switches, solenoids, fuses, etc… When I was a kid, we had a drier fire. Last year, the random lint under my drier smoldered. My old washer had a large tub with a middle column agitator. It last a good 28 years. It could handle a king size comforter. Now, I basically double wash everything & go to the cleaners to wash the king size stuff. Eco is a waste, unless you live in a plastic bubble & don’t sweat & basically are washing undirty clothes.
We have an indoor clothes line in our bedroom. Not like those in hotels & cruise ships. Ours is a green extension cord we got free from Menards easy to put up & take down. We have one end tied to a post on the canopy bed & the other to the top shelf in our closet. We use it for mainly jeans, which we never use the drier for.
I was also told that new refrigerators & freezers are also eco-friendly & are now build to only last a few years.
I currently own, 3 fridges/freezers & 2 freezers. One is a HotPoint from the 1960s.
IT IS AWESOME.

I trust your reviews and we need a new washer soon too as I think ours is on its last legs. We will never buy a home frontloader again…….our Whirlpool is a a joke that barely cleans anything.

I admire your gumption Jill, but I am not up for hand washing for a month or more to wait for a new washer. Did you happen to research what you would buy if you could not get the old style Speed Queen? I saw a video where someone washed ketchup towels in the 2017 and 2018 Speed Queens and the 2018 machine did not get them clean at all.

Yes, I research (heavily!) any major purchases. I have known for years I wanted a Speed Queen, and then so many reviews came out about the 2018 home models not washing as well as the 2017 and older ones. If you’re considering a 2018 Speed Queen, this is a good link to check out:

This guy is a store owner who did his own tests comparing the 2018 and 2017 Speed Queens – again, Speed Queen completely redesigned their machines for 2018, and he was a huge Speed Queen fan and brand advocate for years. After doing extensive wash tests showing the older style Speed Queen washers outperforming the new models, and posting them online, Speed Queen dropped him as a distributor..! His videos pretty much speak for themselves though. For an appliance I’d like to own & use for the next 25 years, I want something that -works.-

I was not able to find any pre-2018 old-model AWN432 (good) Speed Queens, so that’s why I ordered the LWN432, which is the commercial version of the same model and from everything I’ve read, is still built the same way as the AWN432, just with commercial-grade durability.

That said, Maytag has a new top-load agitator that is also getting good reviews. I’m happy that at least one other manufacturer seems to have gone back to building “old school” robust top-loaders. The Maytag model is MVWP575, also a commercial grade machine. They are new though, so they don’t have years of good reviews like the classic Speed Queens do. That said, they are getting good reviews, and if I could not have gotten my SQ LWN432, I was considering the Maytag too. They are around the same price:

For what it’s worth, here is a video I saw too comparing the Maytag with the new 2018 Speed Queen agitation (again, note this is NOT the commercial model machine I ordered — this is the home model Speed Queen TR, and one of the reasons the new SQs are not getting good reviews)…

I don’t know if you ordered online or drove to Glenview, but I’ve never had the sales folks that work here fail to make it worth my while to make the drive. Plus if you go on the weekend, they are baking fresh cookies in their demo kitchen all day. Down the strip there is their family restaurant that has amazingly good food specializing in European style cooking.

J.R., I found the machine on their site and picked up the phone to order – super easy. I called because I wanted to ask if the lead time was really going to be four weeks (it was — in fact, today they told me the machine will be delivered next week, so it will actually be five weeks.)

I have never been to the store, but I have heard about the cookies in their atrium/kitchen area and the restaurant. Someday we will have to go over there and check it out. Abt is definitely the definition of a successful, multigenerational family business :)

We had a 2003 model front-loading Kenmore and I swear, it was the last model year that they were great – ours lasted 15 years and I never, not once, had a problem with the mildew etc that everyone else complains about. I probably wiped it out with a Lysol wipe every 2 months or so and that was IT. We just left the door open and it never had any issues. The drum mechanism finally wore out this summer and I almost cried, because of all the bad reports of current front loaders. But we replaced it with an Electrolux front loader. Huge capacity, rinses well, no water level issues. Fingers crossed!

Thanks! For what it’s worth, my machine is a 2018 build, but it is the commercial version of the old 2017-and-previous model (the “good” ones) and not the home-use new 2018s. They are still making these today if anyone is interested — just have to be sure to get the commercial version LWN432.

I hope your Electrolux works out for you! I have to believe that after all of the issues with front-loaders over the years, the new models are better than the old ones used to be. I have just been burned so badly by my old machine that I honestly don’t want to try again! I am aware that most commercial laundromat machines are front-loaders, but they are not held to the same water-conservation standards that home machines are.

In fact, about two years ago, I was approached at a blogger conference by a big box store that sells appliances. They offered a new washer-dryer pair (front load wash) from a well known brand in exchange for review. I said no..! I honestly did not want to even enter into something like that where if I was unhappy with the performance, I would be bound to continue writing reviews about something I wasn’t a fan of, and I’d already mentally sworn off getting another front loader due to the awful experience with my current one.

During my research, I even looked at getting a fully commercial laundromat type machine til I saw the price… many of them start at $10,000, require a 220 connection and a vertical drain to the floor where they are mounted. Too much for our needs, for sure!

So great you went with the Speed Queen! You are so great to have used a washboard while waiting for it. No one saves money like the Coupon Queen! Looking forward to seeing the post of when the washer arrives!

I can so identify with this post! I had a front loading Maytag for years before we moved, nothing but trouble, I was so happy t leave it with the house when we moved. Then we bought a moderately priced agitator model for the new house until we decided what we wanted. I did NOT want a front loader, but finding agitator models that were dependable has become almost impossible. We looked at the top loaders with no agitator, but my son has one, and it balls the clothes up and twists them together. Plus, I’m 5″1′ and would need a stool to reach the bottom of the washer. After almost 10 years, my husband (who had done tons of research on them) found a Samsung set that had promise. A front loader, of course, but this one was “better”. Yes, it has more lights, bells, whistles and buttons, but it’s horrible! Takes forever to wash, spin cycle twists the clothes so they’re wrinkled, if we don’t keep the door propped open the washer begins to smell of mildew. Even the manual has steps to take regularly to avoid that!! Nothing does. Even the delicate cycle wrinkles the clothes. And the dryer – it takes re-starting it at least twice to dry sheets or blankets because it “rolls” them and the middle doesn’t dry! Newer is not always better. When we move again, there will be NO front loader in my laundry room!

Bought our AWN412 Speed Queen, Made in Wisconsin, washer October 2013. Old school, mechanical controls, built like a tank. Only two issues in that time. Timer went out in first couple months. Fixed immediately under their great warranty. Repair guy said he recommends Speed Queen to all of his friends and occasionally sees a bad timer. Second issue was operator error. It was making a loud noise during the spin cycle. Called tech support. A tech had me hold phone up to washer, explained how to look in the pump, and I pulled out a bobby pin! So happy with Speed Queen I bought the commercial gas dryer at Abt last summer. Has worked flawlessly. I’m sure you will be very happy!

Thank you for sharing that — I still can’t believe they stopped making the AWN412 as I have never read a bad review of it. Nearly every review says, as you did, “built like a tank!” I am hoping that I will love my LWN432 just as much :)

Hi Jill! Thanks for the great article. I immediately clicked the ABT link for the washer you purchased and sadly it is no longer available. I’ve been searching Google for both models with no luck. I then clicked on the ABT link for the Maytag you mentioned. The reviews mention that is only capable of washing a queen size comforter (of course we just upgraded to a king). Do you have any idea if they offer a larger capacity model? Also do you recommend a matching dryer? I am currently renting so I have put off purchasing a set but now after reading this article I feel the need for urgency. Thanks for all that you do!

I know that the model of Speed Queen that I have will indeed fit a king comforter, because I’ve already washed two in it. I don’t know what’s different about the Maytag that it won’t as the tub capacities are about the same — it could be the Maytag’s corkscrew style agitator, possibly.

You might also try calling some of the vendors on Speed Queen’s commercial site and see if they have this model in stock. You want a “non vended” version, meaning it does not have the coin-op feature built in.

Or, you could call some other dealers that carry Speed Queen and see if you can get this model. Locally, Grand Appliance is a Speed Queen dealer. I called them when I was originally looking for the home version of the SQ model I got, but they may be able to order you a commercial model if it’s available through them.

As for the dryer, honestly, I have not researched dryers recently. Our Kenmore dryer is still working, and I have a hard time replacing anything that still works. (Did you see my other article about how many tube televisions we still have in our home? It’s just how I am!) I am not tied to having a matching washer and dryer pair.

I don’t plan to replace our Kenmore dryer until it breaks beyond repair. I’ve replaced the ignitor in it once, which isn’t a big deal. However, my model has a nasty design flaw where part of the control board wears away out due to the vibration of the dryer’s housing, and then it shorts out. A new control board is $400, but I found instructions to fix it by soldering a jumper to the board online: https://www.ifixit.com/Answers/View/112638/Error+code+on+dryer+F01 — did that in 2014, and it is still alive and kicking today. (I was more than irked that a $400 part failed 5 years into the dryer’s life though, especially since the board’s placement seemed designed to fail based on how many people online have had the same problem. I personally would probably not buy a Kenmore again based on this.)

If any of my readers have researched dryers recently, please do feel free to chime in on this topic…

We have a 14 y.o. maytag that was leaking this past Friday. After about an hour of youtube and disassembly I found the issue is a small tear in the bleach tube. A 98-cents hose clamp, a piece of pond liner [left over from a project my son built, and some adhesive silicon caulk/sealant, and I have a temporary fix until the next bleach tube is delivered. All told the repair will cost about $35. I love that I can fix this old machine myself.

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